Friend… or Foe
by CrazyAnimeFan1228
Summary: Its been three years since Mai joined SPR. She has gone to college & is working with the people she loves. Life seems to be going wonderfully for Mai, until her nineteenth birthday. Strange things are happening, not just with her but with Naru (Dr Oliver Davis) too. And what's up with this new case? What are the clients not telling them? Does it prove to be too much, even for Naru?
1. Chapter 1: The Dream

**Disclaimer- I do not own the anime 'Ghost Hunt', I only own the characters I made up and the storyline.**

**Author's Note: I dedicate this chapter to the other FanFiction author Iloveanimex for all her support and encouraging for me to finally completing this FanFic.**

-Chapter 1-

**_The Dream_**

_Mai found herself standing in front of a large, Western style mansion. The front garden was filled with flowers of every colour, some Mai didn't recognise. There was an enormous cherry tree, laden with blossoms, in the middle of the driveway that led up to the house. _

_As she walked up to the huge double fronted oak doors she saw an eagle with red feathers glide through an open window on the second floor. Intrigued by it Mai went through the open doors and into the hall. She ran up the sweeping staircase, turning right, and hurried down the portrait lined corridor. _

_She came to a door with strange golden carvings on it. Mai knew this was the room where the eagle was. She slipped through it silently. _

_The room, was a large study. Bookcases covered two of the walls while the one with the door had more paintings. The two paintings portaged two different women. _

_The first was a middle-aged woman with chestnut brown hair that reached just blow her shoulders blades, flecked with grey. Her eyes were a brilliant, forest green and she wore an emerald coloured ball-gown, embroidered with silver thread. The backdrop was brown and a cat, its fur the same hue as the woman's hair, was sitting next to her. The lady was smiling with her lips and her eyes._

_'She is truly happy.' Mai thought and she too, smiled._

_Mai's eyes lingered on the cat for a moment then her eyes travelled to the next painting. The picture was of a beautiful girl in her early twenties. She had a tall, slim figure. Her dark golden hair, that was weaved with cherry blossoms, was put up into a flat bun. A small tiara, made of silver and diamonds was just visible above her hairline. Her eyes were the most stunning blue and her lips were naturally pink, unlike the first. The dress she wore was a long red puffy ball-gown that sweep the floor. In background here was a massive stair case, with the lady standing near the top. She wasn't looking at the artist, but had her head turned, looking out of the window on the left side, so you could only see half her face. A white bird was flying towards her, looking at her, with its beady black eye. The woman looked at it, almost longingly. There was something about her, and it was not just her pale skin (which was even paler than her boss's). She looked ill and..._

_'She seems so sad.' Was the thought that drifted though Mai's head. Then she noticed the emotion in her eyes. They seemed determined. But, it covered another, pain._

_'I wonder what happened to her...' Mai wondered._

_"No Skylock. I can't allow you to go out in your poor condition!" Said a voice that was not Mai's. The paintings were pushed out of her mind as she turned her head quickly towards the direction of the voice. _

_She gasped, it was the same woman from the first painting! There was no doubt about it. The woman had the same eye and hair colour. She was standing behind a large wooden desk that was in the middle of the room, her back facing the massive window. The woman had her hands placed on the desk, looking angrily across at the two black cloaked figures. Mai couldn't see their faces because they were concealed in the shadows of their cloak's hood. _

_"Julie is right. You shouldn't be going out at the moment." Said the first figure, a male, "The sprit won't be too happy about it either. I can go to Japan, maybe Kathy or Mary could come. But you really shou-" _

_"I have told you both already, Mary and Kate have found a brilliant spell that I can use. It will just drain me a little but I'll be FINE!" Said the woman behind the hood stubbornly._

_"Ok, Skylock. I'll think about it..." Julie said in defeat as she turned her back to them and looked out the window, "You, Victoria, will become her protector from her ninetieth birthday onwards. And you Markus would be the same for the boy, correct?" _

_They both nodded and mumbled, "Yes."_

_Julie was silent for a moment then said, "On my orders, you will go out to Japan, find Shibuya Psychic Research and convince them to take our case."_

_"So we can kill two birds with one stone, right?" Asked the man, Markus._

_"Exactly!" Julie answered turning around, "I have had enough with this entity. We won't tell them anything. We'll wait until we know we can trust them and tell them about-"_

_"Wait!" The woman said suddenly, whipping around and looking right in the corner where Mai was, "Someone is here!"_

_"What?" The other two said, also looking in the same direction, "Where?"_

_"A girl, in her late teens, brown hair and... has a very powerful aura..." The woman answered slowly._

_Mai watched horrified as the woman came towards her, eyes closed, using a hand to navigate. Mai remembered what she had learned from her sprit guide. She tried to force herself to awaken. Then she felt something pulling her back, away from the scene. Just before she was engulfed in darkness she saw to gorgeous blue eyes looking right at her._


	2. Chapter 2: Mai's Birthday

**Author's Note: I write this chapter for my Mum, who has always been there for me, though the best and the worst times in my life.**

**P.S. I also want to thank Iloveanimex and borntoflyhigh. They both have given me some inspiration in parts of this chapter.**

-Chapter 2-

**_Mai's Birthday_**

Mai awoke with a start and looked nervously around. The light blue walls, the large bulky wardrobe and the shelves filled with books on Psychology came into view though the darkness. Mai sighed in relief. She was in her own bedroom once more. That, however, didn't changed the fact on what she dreamed about.

Mai sat up and switched on her lamp on her bedside table and shot a glance at her digital clock, _6:57 am_. She got up and walked over to the longitudinal mirror next to the draped window. The reflection showed a tired, thin teenaged girl with large brown eyes that had a puzzled expression in them. Her skin looked a sickly yellow in the misty glow of the light.

She was trying to recall her dream. It was about 3 people… she didn't know any of them… Mai frowned as she tried to remember… It was like tiring to hold water in cupped hands, the details were slipping through her fingers.

The scene of a big study with a desk, one behind it and two in front, floated into Mai's mind. And… a name… what was it? Skylark… Shylock… Skylock? Yes, that was it. And those blue eyes… she could still see them in her mind… Mai shivered, it was as though they were x-raying her. It felt so real…

But Mai had her fair share of 'for real' dreams, this one was not the scariest. She could still re-live the memory of the blade against her neck. This made her shivered for the second time that night.

To distract herself from her train of thought, Mai undid the tie in her plaited brown hair. She ran her fingers through the length of her hair and looked at the strands critically. It brushed her shoulder blades and the ends had started to split.

'I need to get it trimmed again soon.' Mai thought and sighed as she looked at her favourite pictures on her bedroom wall.

One of them was of her parents. Her Mother and Father were hugging each other, bright smiles on their faces. Mai smiled sadly as she remember taking the picture that day, two days before her Dad was killed in that car crash when she was five. Her Mum was grief stricken and barely spoke of him after that, so she didn't know much about him. Then, suddenly, when she was fourteen, her Mum died of unknown causes. That was when her life fell apart. Mai was alone, and lived alone until her school found out. They have helped her ever since, as did her friends. Memories were being replayed in her mind of all the good times she had with her Mum and Dad, than she remembered the worst.

Another sigh escaped her lips as she'd turned her head to look at the larger photograph. Now, Mai genuinely smiled. It was a photograph of her beloved co-workers, her new family.

Houshou Takigawa, the twenty-five-year-old ex-monk and bass guitar player, was standing behind the sofa with an arm around his girlfriend, Ayako Matsuzaki, a shrine maiden/doctor, both grinning madly as they tried to elbow the four-eyed university graduate, Osamu Yasuhara (Yasu), away from the poor monk. John Brown, a Catholic priest, and one of her best friends Masako Hara, the famous spirit medium, were sitting on the arms of the sofa.

And there, sitting on the black couch was a smiling Mai and her boss who was frowning in annoyance. This nineteen-year-old man went by many names. The first was Kazuya Shibuya to the Japanese community and owner of Shibuya Psychic Research. His true identity is Dr Oliver Davis, a famous English PK user and is known as probably the strongest psychic in the world. And finally as Naru or Noll the Narcissist to his close friends and family. He was the one who brought them together… and the one who left them.

Naru originally came to Japan to find his dead twin brother, Eugene Davis, who was also her spirit guide. In fact, Mai was usually dreaming about Gene, but at first she thought he was 'Dream Naru'. On that horrible day, he found what he came for. Eugene's body was at the bottom of a dark, murky lake, in the middle of nowhere… completely intact… and breathing. He was still in a coma, worrying his brother to hell and back. Naru left for England with Gene and didn't contact the rest of the gang for one year.

Right at the back stood the stoical, quiet Kōujo Lin, the expert on onmyoji and the use of shiki, also Naru's bodyguard and mentor. He has a faint smile on his lips as he watches the group of people before him.

_Brrrrrrrr, Brrrr._

Mai snapped out from her thoughts as she turned to find the source of the noise. It was her phone, letting her know that she had a text message.

_Brrrrrrrr, Brrrr._

Another message.

_Brrrrrrrr, Brrrr._

And a third. She trudged over to her bedside table, picked up the said item then checked who it was. Mai pressed a few buttons and these words appeared on the screen.

_HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAI! Hope you have a great day!_

_From Monk._

Mai stared at her phone. How could she have not remembered? It was her nineteenth birthday! That dream must have really gotten to her. A big smile broke out on her face. She read the next text, which was from Ayako.

_Happy Birthday! _

_Remember to look nice for you party after work!_

And the last one from Yasu.

_Dear Mai,_

_Happy B'day!_

_Have a super swell day! Don't forget yourself for the party! ;-)_

As she locked her phone she once looked at the time again. _8:02 am_.

'I've been daydreaming for 2 hours?' Mai though stunned. 'I'm going to be late!'

She ran to her bathroom, got undressed and hopped into the shower.

'I wonder what I should wear…' Mai was thinking as she finished washing her hair, 'The white top with the blue skirt would be-'

"AAAHHH!" Mai screamed, clasping her right shoulder in pain.

Then, as quickly as it came, the pain was gone. She panted for a few moments then peered down to see what had caused such agony.

On top of her upper left arm was a scar in the shape of diamond. Inside of that, there was a capital G, no blood was present.

"What the…" Mai said in total bewilderment. Mai stumbled out of the shower and dressed into a spaghetti strap, white top and a dark blue knee length skirt with white flowers embroidered on the hem. She also chose a dark blue three-quarter length cotton cardigan.

"How did it get there?" Mai thought, for what seemed like, the tenth time that morning, as she applied her make-up, pausing to glance at her shoulder. She put on the last of her blusher and headed out the bathroom, into the kitchen.

Mai placed some bread into the toaster, switched it on, and started to make some tea. As she did so, she continued to think about the dream and its significance. The last case they had been completed three days ago. She poured the tea into a mug and started to sip it. Maybe it was telling her a future one?

A burning smell reached her nostrils.

"Oh no! The toast!" Mai quickly popped up the toast. It was a bit darker than it was meant to be but still edible. Mai glanced at the time. Her eyes widened. _8:52 am_!

"I'm late!" Mai shouted.

She grabbed her cardigan, keys and phone, with toast in mouth, Mai Taniyama zoomed out the door.

**.:***:.**

A boy, dressed in his usual black, was staring out of his office window, onto the street below, watching and waiting. One of his employees' was late, by seven minutes to be exact.

He started to tap his patent-leather shoe impatiently. "Where on earth is she?! When is she going to get here?" His eyes scanned the crowd again to look for the familiar girl. "What if she's hurt? What if she's in trouble?" He was getting fed-up with all these 'what ifs'.

Relief swept over him as he saw the brown-haired girl weave herself through the crowd towards the building. She finally reached her destination and started to climb the stairs to Shibuya Psychic Research.

Naru walked back to his desk, sat on his hide-bound chair and started to go through some possible cases. Naru hadn't changed that much in the last two years. The nineteen, nearly twenty, year old man had lost the last of his puppy fat, making him look much more mature, grown a few inches in height and became more muscular. His raven-black hair was the same as ever, and eyes were just the as usual, blue and easy to read.

There was a tinkle of a bell and the usual greeting of, "Good Morning Naru, good morning Lin-san!" In an especially cheery tone today, indicating that his assistant, Mai, had arrived.

"Mai, tea." Naru ordered in a monotone. The grumbling of Mai was heard from the other side of the door, and words like 'Stupid, tea-loving jerk.' could be distinguished making Naru smile slightly, and the stomping of footsteps.

Back in the small kitchenette, Mai began to make tea. She placed, more like slammed, the kettle on the stove, while thinking 'He doesn't even give me a 'Hello Mai' or 'Happy Birthday', Jerk!' She added the last finishing touches and took the two cups on their usual tray into the main office.

She first went to Lin's office, the one closest to the entrance. Mai knocked gently and waited. The tapping of keyboard keys stopped signalling for her to enter.

Turning the doorknob, Mai came into the office and looked up to see Kōujo Lin sitting in a black straight-backed chair, laptop on, waiting for her.

"Good morning Lin-san!" Mai addressed happily, putting the tea carefully on the polished work surface.

"Good morning Mai, Happy Birthday." Lin replied, with a hint of a smile.

"Thank you so much Lin-san!" Mai cheerfully said.

"Please, we don't need honorifics." Lin reminded her.

"OK, Lin-san, I'll try and remember!" And out of the room she went. Lin sighed, has it really been three years since they met that bubbly girl? It seems to be much longer.

Mai now was standing at her boss's door. She knocked twice, and remained still for an answer.

"Come in."

Upon entering she saw the man, his normal stoic mask in place, leaning on his own desk, arms crossed.

"Hello Naru! Here's your tea!" Mai exclaimed handing him the cup.

He went around his desk to sit down then took a sip of the liquid. He drained it quickly, put it down and carried on looking through some files.

Mai stood there, waiting.

"Is there something you want Mai?" Naru asked coolly when she didn't move, knowing what the answer was.

"There _is_ something I want." Mai said irritably, "A _thank you_ would be nice!"

"Yes, that would be nice." He replied and continued to read. He could feel her anger level skyrocket, 'Wait for it… One, two, three…'

"WOULD IT KILL YOU TO SAY THANK YOU ONCE IN YOUR LIFE?!" She screamed, face a bright red.

Smirking, Naru said, "I don't believe a thank you would be lethal."

With smoke coming out of her ears, Mai turned on her heel and began to storm out the room.

"Wait a moment." Naru's words made her stop in mid-stride. She spun around, a hand on her hip, still fuming.

"I was planning to give this to you later, but I think now would be more appropriate." He said, opening one of his desk drawers and drew out a square box in shiny light blue paper, with a white box to match, that was about the size of her palm, "Here." Getting up once again, he walked over and gave her the package.

"Happy Birthday Mai." Naru said quietly. Stunned, Mai took the gift.

After she carefully undone the wrapping paper, it revealed a white leather box. She looked up questionably and saw Naru had an apprehensive look in his eye. She slowly opened it and smiled.

It was a watch. It was silver with a metal strap, and 'OMEGA' was written on the white watch face in silver. Little crystals were encrusted around the edge of the watch itself.

"Oh Naru! It's gorgeous!" She cried and hugged him.

Mai suddenly realised that she had just embraced her boss. She jumped back, blushing furiously, and found that her slip-on shoes looked very interesting.

"Well… I… I have some work to do… Th-thanks again Naru!" And with that she literally ran from the room, slamming the door behind her, holding the box and tray to her chest.

Naru stood there, staring blankly at the white door. He felt happiness swell up inside him at Mai's display of delight. Smiling a tiny, rare smile, he sat himself down and carried on working.

Mai, on the other hand, was not doing so well with the said subject. She had also sat down at her desk, with a couple of piles of files to one side and a picture of her friends on the other and the watch box in the middle, open so she could look at it.

'Why did I do that? I made myself look like a right idiot.' She complained to herself. Mai's love for Naru had increased since he came back to them; there was no doubt about it. She even confessed to him, on that dreadful day by the lake where they found Gene. But he had asked her that question. 'Me or Gene?' All she wanted to do was say 'It's you!', but the words wouldn't come out… she just cried and cried.

Mai spent the next year trying to forget him, picking up the fragments of her heart. She gradually lost contact with the team, only with the occasional email or phone call. Monk had gone on a long trip with his band, Ayako was working at her parent's hospital, and John had to go back to Australia because his mother was ill. Masako was busy with her TV show and Yasu was working on his university degree.

So Mai was back in school, and she put all her effort into homework and exams', making her the top for her class in English, Science and History in less than two months, but Maths was her down point. She eventually caught up with her class when he came back. He asked her personally if she would be happy for him to employ her again. Mai was furious that he just came in oh-so causally, but was overjoyed at the same time, and had begrudgingly agreed. Everything seemed to have gone back to normal, well as normal as you can get at SPR. Naru had acted a though Mai had never confessed.

Now, two years later she was wondering again if he really felt anything for her. Mai took the watch off its cushion and put it on her right wrist, and admired it. The watch twinkled in the morning sunlight. She smiled a bit, feeling that this day couldn't get any better.

_Bang!_

Mai's head shot up as chatting and laughter filled the room. Monk, Ayako, John, Masako and Yasu entered the room, with the bell ringing in the background. They all caught sight of her and rushed over.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAI!" Monk and Ayako said in sync.

"I was going to say that!" Takigaswa shouted to Ayako.

"Well too bad! I said it first!" the shrine maiden retorted and another one of their squabbles broke out over who copied who.

"Happy Birthday Mai-chan." Yasu said, doing a handshake with Mai, who didn't know what to do, but tried anyway.

"Yes, Happy Birthday Mai." John said, giving Mai a cuddle, but hurried off to the two 'adults' as soon as he saw Ayako raising her fists.

"Mai, happy nineteenth Birthday," Masako said giving her a hug. "It will be mine soon too! I can't wait!"

"Me neither!" Mai replied, still smiling.

"Mai! You're nineteen! I can't believe it!" Ayako exclaimed, leaving the argument for now.

"My little Mai-chan is growing up so fast!" Monk pulled Mai into a bone-crushing bear hug.

"Bo-san… can't breathe… need air…" Mai said in a choking voice.

_Thwack! _

Monk had just received a blow to the head by Ayako's red handbag.

"Ow…" moaned the Monk.

"Don't squeeze the life out of her!" Ayako shouted angrily.

"Now, now, no need to get violent." John chucked nervously, leading the two to the sofa.

"This is an office, not a café," Naru said coming out of his office, papers in hand. He dropped them on the birthday girl's desk, "Mai, sort these out."

"Yes Naru!" Mai chirped, and sat down and got to work.

"Naru-bou, you can't have Mai tier herself on her birthday!" Monk complained.

"Don't worry Bo-san! I can do it!" Mai said without looking up.

"I agree! She has to be all rested for the party!" Ayako exclaimed, clapping her hands.

"You agree with me? That a first." Takigawa commented, in mock astonishment.

"Why you…" Ayako growled, and they once again, started to argue.

"What's that?" Masako asked, pointing at her friend's wrist, pulling up a chair to sit down in front of Mai. Her eyes widened, "No way! That's an 'OMEGA'! How did you afford that?"

"Well, um, Naru gave it to me today." Mai shyly said, showing it to her best friend.

"No wonder you're in such a good mood, even if you have work on your birthday," Yasu smirked, "You liiiike him!"

"Sh-Shut up!" A blush crept up Mai's face.

"Yasuhara, stop disturbing my assistant and make yourself useful," Naru said, over the arguing, a frown on his face.

"Sorry boss man, we didn't realize that we were interrupting your and Mai's 'Alone Time'." Yasu said while quirking his eyebrows.

Naru glared at the smirking man and retreated back to the comforts of his office.

"So, Mai," John said, "Are you still coming to the party after your shift is over?" Ayako and Takigawa both stopped talking to listen to their 'daughter's' reply.

"Of course! It is a Friday so we can stay out late if you want."

"Great!" Yasu shouted, "We'll go to eat, then hits some nightclubs!" The others agreed.

"Well, I'll better be going then," Masako announced looking at the clock on the wall, "I have an interview in an hour. John and I will join you all this evening."

"Yes, so goodbye for now." John said, getting up and they walked out of the office, hand and hand.

John had just recently become an ex-priest, because, as he told them, he had found someone to be with in life. They all knew who that person was, since he had started dating Masako. However, the Church allowed him still to perform exorcisms.

"Yeah, we should go as well…" Ayako sighed, getting up, "The shopping isn't going to get done by itself."

"But I don't wanna…" Said Monk, but when he saw his girlfriend's glare, he stuttered quickly, "But as you said, i-it has to b-be done!"

"OK, we'll see you at about six?" Ayako asked, turning back to Mai.

"Yeah, that'll be fine. I can't wait!" Mai said.

"We'll see you all later!" The red-haired shine maiden called over her shoulder.

"Bye!" Was Monk's farewell.

"So that just leaves you and me Mai!" Yasu smiled creepily.

"Not to be rude or anything," Mai started, and looked up with a dull expression, "but get out. I have to finish this or I can't go."

"Fine," Yasu said dejectedly, "Bye, bye." And slouched out the door.

**.:***:.**

"Agh, all done." Mai sighed, three hours later. She threw the last file in the 'Done Pile' and relaxed into her chair, "Hopefully, that's the last of them."

She looked at the clock on her desk and groaned. It was nearly one o'clock and that meant…

"Mai, tea." Called her boss's muffled voice.

"Yes, Naru." She replied. And lumbered again to the kitchenette, she put the tea leaves in the cup, waiting for the water to simmer. She smiled, she was so glad it was her birthday. Pouring the water into the cup, Mai hummed to herself and was at Naru's door, not before discarding her cardigan as she was already starting to boil like the tea in her hand.

Mai tapped the door, and then entered.

Naru was on the computer, clicking his mouse now and then. She put the cup on the on the desk. He slowly started to drink it. She got tired of waiting for thanks and started go to back out to clean her desk, when…

"Mai, stop." Naru commanded.

Mai froze at the tone of his voice. She turned to face him, wondering what she had done now.

He marched towards her and went to her left side, "What is that?" pointing towards her shoulder, with the scar.

Mai mentally slapped herself, how could she have forgotten that? The reason she wore the cardigan was to hide it.

"U-um..." She hesitated, 'Maybe I shouldn't tell him.'

"I… I…" She eventually gave in when she saw Naru's look of concern in his eye, and told him what occurred earlier on.

"So it's the same with you…" He mumbled under his breath.

"What do you mean 'the same with you'? Has it happened to others before?" Mai asked confused.

"… Yes, it has." Naru said.

"Well, could you tell me?" Mai wondered.

"I think it would be better to show you." He walked to the bookshelf. Mai was convinced that he was going to pull out a book, but how wrong she was. He began to unbutton his black shirt.

'Oh my god!' Mai thought blushing, 'He's getting undressed!'

However, to her relief (or not, she didn't really know), he was wearing a white vest underneath. He faced her, then turned so she could see his shoulder. Mai gasped.

Right there, in the exact same place as her own, was the diamond and G scar. The only difference was that it was on his right shoulder, instead of left.

"I got this on my nineteenth birthday as well," Naru explained, "I haven't found another case like this one on the internet or written down."

"And my dream, it could also have something to do with it."

"Most likely," Naru agreed, putting the shirt back on, "But don't worry about it now. We will look into it more, later. For now, you can go home early Mai, so you can get ready for the celebrations."

"Eh?" Mai let the words sink in, then smiled, "Thank you Naru!" And gave him a hug, too happy to realize what she was doing.

"I think, in fact, that I will join you."

"You will?" Mai was now wondering if he was feeling unwell.

"Yes, I will," Naru decided, "And Lin will come."

"That's brilliant!" Mai shouted, "I'll go now! I'll be back here at 9:00 am sharp on Monday!" She headed for the door, jumping in excitement.

"No you won't," Naru said seriously. Mai stopped, too shocked to move. Her boss smirked, "You will be here at 9 o'clock sharp… tomorrow."

"JERK!"

**Author's Note: I'm so sorry that I have not updated in such a long time, it just I wanted to make this chapter good, not a total flop. Please leave a review and tell me what you think! Thanks! *:-D***

**CrazyAnimeFan1228**


	3. Chapter 3: A New Case, A New Place

**Author's Note: Hello again! I am sooooo sorry that I haven't updated in forever! Not only had my laptop gone bananas, but school has gotten a lot harder… And my grades have skyrocketed! So I can relax a little… I hope.**

**Without further or do, here's the disclaimer!**

**Disclaimer: The anime/magna, 'Ghost Hunt' belongs to Fuyumi Ono, I only own the plot-line and the characters I create.**

**I dedicate this chapter to all who have favourited, followed or commented this FanFic so far! Thank you all! It makes me really happy to see you're enjoying this!**

-Chapter 3-

**_A New Case, a New Place_**

It has been a month since Mai's birthday, one of her best birthday for a long time. They ate, they danced and even Naru seemed to have a… endurable time. Everything since then was as normal, but with one small difference. Mai had hardly got any injuries from any of the eight cases they had. The worst was a cut on her arm that healed in a matter days. Normally she would have numerous problems, not that she was complaining.

So, it was a typical, average, boring day at Shibuya Psychic Research. Sunlight was streaming through the open windows as it was the beginning of July. Mai was sitting at her desk, sorting some files, while listening in on the conversation Ayako and Masako were having about the new comedy-romance film 'Love Is All You Need'. Monk, John and Yasu were sitting on the sofas talking about the wrestling match that was yet to come, that evening. Naru and Lin were in their respective offices, doing Lord knows what.

"I think that Daron was by far the best in the film." Ayako declared, "The way he battled and he didn't look too bad without a shirt." Mai giggled.

"I personally preferred Nick, he was very caring." Masako, covering her mouth with the sleeve of her kimono, in thought, "And the special effects were amazing."

"Yeah, they were brilliant. It looked as though fire was shooting from his hand, for real." Mai stapled one file and moved onto the next, "I really liked Bella, she really did know what to do, even though she was still new. And her powers were really cool -"

"Kotoshogiku is going to kick Goeido's butt!" Yasu shouted jumping up.

"No chance!" Bo-san retorted, "Goeido is going to bring him down!"

"He won't!" Yasu, wore a t-shirt saying 'Kotoshogiku for the WIN!' showing how much of a fan he was.

"He will."

"He won't."

"Come on you two, you don't need to argue about this…" John said, standing up himself, trying to calm the two 'men'.

"He will!" The base guitarist yelled, paying no heed to the ex-priest, so John decided to just gradually walk away, since it would probably work out on its own.

"Wanna bet?!"

"Sure!"

"Fine, 10,000 Yen!" Yasu slammed down the money on the coffee table, "And if I win, you also need to dress up as a bunny for a day."

"And if _I_ win, you need to…" Monk smirked, "_That!_"

The man with glasses gasped, Mai tried to hide a smile, "You wouldn't?! You wouldn't do that to the love of your life?" He added a supposedly innocent smile.

Takigawa's smile stretched even wider, "Oh, I would."

Yasu paused from a moment, weighing his odds, "Deal." The boys shook hands.

Ayako shook her head, "Honestly, you guys are getting worked up over nothing."

"It's not 'nothing'!" Monk said in astonishment, "It's a very important event!"

"All it is, is a couple of fat men rolling around, too heavy to stand on their own two feet!"

"Sumo Wrestling is an art!"

"Yeah, of course. If you call fat flying around an art!"

Now Masako was doing a lot of head shaking, "You really wouldn't expect that they were dating?"

"I don't know, at least they are entertaining!" said Yasu.

Mai had to agree, as Ayako started chasing Monk around the room with her purse.

_Jingle, Jingle_

They all stopped what they were doing and turned to see a tall figure looming in the doorway. The man in a cloak stepped through the door, and looked around awkwardly. Silenced consumed the room, you could only hear the ticking of the clock.

"Um, am I interrupting something?" He asked, in a thick accent. Judging by his voice, you could tell that he was not Japanese.

"No! Come in!" Mai said, getting up, "Welcome to Shibuya Psychic Research. I am Mai Taniyama, how may I help you?"

The man walked in and a second figure followed. This person was also wearing a cloak, but it was black instead of grey. You couldn't see her face in the shadow of the hood (you could tell it was a girl because her skirt was poking out under the hem of the garment).

"Um, can we see Kazuya Shibuya please? I'm sorry, we don't have an appointment."

"It's fine! We are free. Do sit down," The co-workers from the couch moved out the way, "I'll just go and inform him that you're here."

The man took off his large coat. He looked in his early twenties, American, with brown eyes, urban wavy hair and tanned skin. He wore a grey checked shirt, simple black jeans with a belt and convers shoes. All in all, he was a very handsome. His eyes seemed to hold a spark within then, giving his a friendly look.

Masako and Ayako both blush a deep red when the boy looked at them, their respective boyfriends both notice, and glared angrily at him. Mai also had a light pink dusting her cheeks.

He sat down, and the woman did the same, but she did not make any move to reveal her appearance.

Mai opened the door of her boss's study, after knocking of course, "Naru, there's a client here waiting to see you."

The narcissistic boy gave a nod and followed.

She did the same for Lin, and he came out, laptop in hand.

"Mai, tea." Naru ordered.

She sighed and went to the kitchenette. After making the beverage at top speed, she hurried back out to the interview. She passed the cups around.

"Now, you can start." Naru started to sip his tea.

"I am Markus Ignisgerentis, and this is Victoria. We are here representing our mother, Julianna Clarkton. We are here because there have been some… odd events happening in our home."

"Such as?" John prompted.

"Knocking and writing on the walls, sounds of footsteps and whispers heard in empty rooms. We have quite a large and old house."

"Are you sure that you don't have robbers or immature teenagers creating trouble?" Naru asked bluntly.

"Well, actually…" Markus started to fiddle with his coat, "We have many precious artefacts, paintings and important literature, we've had quite a few break-ins."

"It is most likely that you have a bunch of thieves," The PK user snapped closed his note book, "If that's all, then I will not accept this job."

Naru shot Lin a look, because he noticed that his mentor had stopped typing. Lin was looking at Victoria. All he did was glance up quickly and he saw something strange. Even in the darkness of her hood, he could see her eyes. A pair of the most incredible glowing blue eyes he had ever seen. But as soon as they came, they vanished. He gave himself a little shake, and continued typing.

"Wait! There's more!" Markus said hurriedly, "There have been sighting of milky white people appeared out of nowhere."

"Still could be burglars. I suggest checking if you have all of your belongings." Naru picked up his cup of tea, "Is that it?"

"That… Um…" Markus gave his companion a begging look.

"**No, Markus.**" She spoke in English, "**I won't. I just came to confirm their agreement.**"

"**But you have to! Or they won't be able to help**!" He retorted in the same tongue. Takigaswa, Ayako and Masako looked confused. Mai thanked the gods that she leant English in University.

She went quiet, then nodded.

"The reason," Victoria said, in fluent Japanese, she stood up, walked to the middle of the room, limping slightly and turned away from them, "Is because of this."

She grasped the silver buckle on the cloak, and let the piece of clothing fall to the floor.

They all gasped, even the emotionless Naru and Lin widened their eyes.

Victoria was a slightly large woman, with thin hair that reached her shoulders. She was wearing a white spaghetti strap summer dress. On her neck there were these blue markings, which looked similar to a tattoo. Her eyes weren't the only thing that stood out. On all visible skin, there were scars, some of them still healing. And right across the top of her back, was writing, red and raw, that looked like it was carved into the skin with a blunt knife.

"'YOU WILL ALL PAY'." Yasu read out weakly.

"How long have you been like this?" Lin questioned.

"It all started about 5 years ago. I've been getting these cuts and bruises every time I go out of the house. I am starting to worry about my little sister. She has nightmares about these things that try to come and hurt her."

"Please Dr Davis, please except our case!" Markus said worriedly.

"How do you know my name?" The professor demanded.

Markus went pale. He stared at Victoria, as though willing her to explain.

"The answer is that we don't live here," Victoria said plainly, "Our home is in the deep forests of England. We are actually quite good friends with your father, Professor Davis."

"Wait, WHAT?" Ayako and Monk called.

"You mean that you came all the way from Britain, just to ask us to come and help?" Masako said.

"Your company, SPR, is very famous and we need professionals, not some rip-offs." Markus smiled, the spirit medium blushed.

"But will you, will you help us?" Victoria said, her face was set with determination.

Naru glanced at Mai; she gave him a pleading look.

"We will accept your case," Their boss said, Markus sighed, and relief washed over his features, "It seems we're going to England, if you are all free?"

"Awesome! I've never been there, not even on tour." Houshou exclaimed, Ayako looked egger too.

"WAWHO! We're setting off for the UK!" Yasu cheered.

Victoria gave them a weak smile, "We will pay for the tickets, a thank you present for helping us." She glazed at Yasuhara, "You remind me of a friend I have, and I think you two will get along nicely."

The four-eyed boy gave her a comical confused look.

"When would you like us to book the flight?" Markus said to Naru.

"Four days' time, if you don't mind, once we get to London, we will need to visit one place on the way. Also, we will need a base and two rooms to sleep in."

"Great, already sorted! It is a long trip, so we would need to anyway."

They shook hands.

"Thank you ever so much. We will send you the time of the flight. Victoria and I will already be in England, so we'll meet you at the airport."

Mai passed Markus the SPR business card, with the needed phone and email address.

Lin got up, Markus and Victoria put on their coats.

"Thank you again." Victoria bowed, Markus did the same.

"We will see you then." Victoria gave Mai a nodded.

As the two new clients were walking out, Lin accidently brushed against Victoria. He saw something, a view of a cliff face with a woman standing on the edge. The lady moved to face him, her sky blue eyes penetrating his soul.

He came out of this vision; Lin stared at the back of her head. She must have noticed that he was watching, she turned and gave him a smile that made his heart flutter.

"Well, we should get packing then!" Ayako grabbed Mai's hands, "We'll go shopping and buy some nice cute summer outfits!"

"Don't you know that the weather in England is different than here?" Naru commented, "It's much colder over there."

The shine maiden's smile disappeared, and she started to sulk.

They all started talking about the trip to come.

"It is strange, isn't it?" Naru said in a low voice to Lin.

"Indeed." Lin was still a little shocked from that daydream, "Why didn't they go to BSPR?"

"They even said they know my father." Naru looked up at the Chinese man, "Be extra careful," He looked back at the group, who were at the moment arguing about which colour would look best on Mai, magenta or crimson, "This might get dangerous."

They had no idea that this case was about to change their lives forever.

**Author's Note: There. Done! I've been writing this chapter for absolutely ages, this actually was the first chapter I thought up for this story! I've changed it a bit since then, but the second paragraph is exactly the same!**

**The names** **Kotoshogiku and Goeido are both Sumo Wrestlers, it took me ages to find them, you can look into them more if you want…**

** Also, I am not sure of who will win the bet, so I'm going to do what YOU guys want. Do you want see Monk in a bunny costume? Or, have Yasu doing, _that_? Just leave it in a review and say which side you're on, Team Monk or Team Yasu!**

**Thank you if you've read up to here! Please review; it's my Birthday today, so give me a review as a present please!**

**We'll Monk dress up in a bunny suit, or will Yasu do… _that_? Find out in the next chapter!**

**CrazyAnimeFan1228**


	4. Chapter 4: England

**Author's Note:**

**CrazyAnimeFan1228 (CAF): Hello people of earth! I'm back and better than ever! Thanks soooooo much for all your wonderful reviews! I was so happy! Literally, every time I got one, I did a happy dance, and my Mum asked me if I was feeling alright…**

**Naru: Yes, because of your lack of brain cells, your mother has a right to worry.**

**CAF: *sulks in corner***

**Mai: That's really mean! *goes to comfort CAF***

**Monk: Since CAF seems to be… occupied… I shall do the disclaimer! CrazyAnimeFan1228 does not own any of us, because that would be weird… though she did invent the OCs… so…**

**Yasu: Victoria said I would get along with someone… I'm not sure how to take that…**

**Ayako: *shakes head* Honestly, what am I going to do with you two…**

**CAF: Oh yeah, you can see who won the bet in this chapter too!**

-Chapter 4-

**_England_**

"Come on! We're going to be late!" Ayako shouted, waiting at the entrance of her young friend's apartment.

"I'm coming!" Mai called back, putting her phone in her coat pocket and racing out of her bedroom, her newly bought hand-luggage rolling behind her.

"How much time have we got?" Mai asked.

"Well, the plane technically leaves in two hours, but Naru says that we need to get there early, for check in and stuff." Ayako was in front of the hallway mirror, applying some lip-stick, "Let's go, Houshou's waiting in the car and I don't want him to complain any more than he already does."

They hurried out the front door.

"Finally!" The monk called from the driver's seat of his car. It was a Honda 'Integra Type R' in red and he was very proud of it, "Let's get moving! I don't want to get an ear-full from boss man."

The three of them drove at top speed, missing four collisions from cars and pedestrians alike because the couple were arguing on whether they should follow the map or the sat-nav. Mai stayed silent the whole time, praying to any god that was listening, while holding on for dear life.

They all met up at the entrance of the airport, everyone was ready to fly. Getting onto the plane was simple enough, with the slight problem at check-in; someone's bag was too heavy. Ayako was still trying to get over the embarrassment.

"Wow!" Mai gasped, as she stepped onto the plane.

The plane was more like a hotel suit than a jet liner. Rather than rows of seats squeezed in, there were many leather couches and armchairs arranged around the walls and a large conference table could be pulled out from the wall. There was a massive plasma-screen television hooked up to a DVD player.

"Hello and good morning sir, my I take you luggage?" A pretty attendant asked Oliver, winking.

Naru's expression did not change, "No thank you, we can deal with it ourselves." And he walked away.

"Sorry about him," Mai said to the disgruntled woman, "He's always like that, with everyone."

The SPR team all settled down in the chairs for take-off.

A second flight attendant, a man this time, went through the 'normal prep talk' as John called it. He told them his name, Thomas, and welcomed them to 'British Airways Private Flight' from Tokyo Japan, to Luton, England. He said that the journey would take approximately fourteen hours and forty minutes and they would arrive at twelve forty in the afternoon, English time. He explained how to do the seatbelts and procedures in the event of an emergency.

Mai was very nervous. She had never been on a plane before, this was all so new. The talk for the emergency stuff went on for ages; this did not help in the slightest.

"Don't worry Mai. It'll be fine." Naru muttered from beside her, not looking up from his book.

"Yeah, Mai-chan! We'll be in the air in no time." Monk encouraged.

Masako reached across the aisle, patted her arm and gave her a smile.

The actual lift off wasn't what Mai was expecting. It felt as though she left her brain behind, then it suddenly bounced back to her head. Once in the air, she looked out the window cautiously. She was amazed at the view. She could see little cars, roads, houses even the city looked miniature.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached cruising altitude; you may now remove your seatbelts." Thomas's voice said through the speakers.

"Wow, our client pulled out all the stops from us," Monk sighed, accepting a drink from one of the stewards.

"It is very good." Masako was looking through the DVDs up for offer; they included new films and Paranormal Documentaries.

"There is even a collection of fine chocolates! How fantastic!" John said, choosing one for himself.

"And we're going to one of the most famous places ever!" Ayako gasped, "We just have to go shopping! Imagine all the clothes…"

Yasu, however, hadn't joined in on the celebrations. He was sitting at the very end of the plane, in his own cloud of gloom.

"Hey, what's wrong with him?" Mai pointed to the four-eyed boy.

"He's just sulking because he lost the bet," Monk was counting his money from his wallet, "Goeido won the match, so now he has to do '_that_'." Said the base guitarist with an evil laugh.

"Am I the only one who doesn't know what '_that_' is?" Mai asked.

"Nope, no one does! That's why it'll be so funny!"

Naru closed his book with a snap, "Now everyone pipe down, we need to sleep in order not to get jet lag."

"He's right," John said, "Let's try to get some rest."

Mumbling and moaning, they all sat down, the lights were dimmed and window blinds pulled down. Mai was sitting next to her boss, and found that she was very tired all of a sudden.

She yawned. Maybe sleeping wasn't such a bad idea. She tried to get comfortable, but she couldn't. Finally, her head found a soft, flat surface and she was out like a light.

What Mai didn't know, that 'soft, flat surface' was her boss's shoulder. His attention was taken from his novel, he glanced down at Mai. His head was telling him to move away, but she looked so peaceful. Instead, he brushed her hair away from her eye.

Lin, being the silent man he was, gave the young professor a look. Naru just rolled his eyes and carried on reading.

Shaking his head, with a small smirk on his lips, Lin went back to typing.

.:***:.

_Mai awoke again, and looked around. Darkness was all she could see. White balls of light came into view, hundreds of them, all slowly floating upwards. She knew this place all too well._

_She stood up, and then a voice came from behind her._

_"__Hello Mai."_

_"__Gene!" She spun around gave her friend a hug, "I haven't seen you in ages! Where were you? How are you?"_

_"__Mai listen, and listen closely." Mai was shocked by the seriousness of his voice. Now you mention it, he seemed slightly pale, dark bags were under his eyes._

_"__Gene, what happened?"_

_"__I took a great risk in coming here." Gene looked over his shoulder, as though he was expecting someone to jump out of the darkness._

_"__Why? What's wrong? What's going on-"_

_"__This case you're taking, it's not like the others…" He cut in, "It's going to get very dangerous, very quickly."_

_"__What do you mean?"_

_"__The place you are going has an extremely dark past, terrible things are about to occur if you let the evil devour the light."_

_A dark howl came from the depths of the shadows, making the hair on the back of Mai's neck stand on end._

_"__Look," The medium said hurriedly, "Tell Noll that he needs to be careful, things are not what they seem; things will get deadly if you make a mistake."_

_"__What the hell do you mean?" Mai's panic level was very high, what could be so powerful to affect an Astral Projection?_

_"__All would be explained in good time, but do not lose hope Mai, you will make friends with whom you thought to be your foes, remember that."_

_Another growl cut through the silence, but it was much louder._

_"__Quick! You've got to go! It's not safe here!" He pushed her away._

_"__Gene! What do you mean? I don't get any of this!" Mai tried to get back to her Spirit Guild, but she felt her conscience pull her from the scene._

_The last thing she saw was a black shape swallow Gene, followed by a scream of agony._

.:***:.

"Mai… Mai…"

Someone was calling her name, but she could not open her eyes.

"Mai… Mai… If you don't wake up soon, I'm cutting your pay…"

Finally, she prided open her eyelids only to see Naru's annoyed stare.

"Good, you are up. We have landed. We are getting off in a minute."

"Naru, I had a dream." Mai whispered shakily.

That was all she needed to say. He gave her a nod, and said, "Tell me every detail once we arrive at the client's house."

"Alright," Mai took a deep breath, trying to pull herself together.

The first thing that hit Mai (quite literally) when she took her first step on English soil, was the temperature. Back in Japan, it was very hot and humid, about 35ᵒC, while here… It was so cool! And it was supposed to be summer time!

They all walked into the large building, the white tiles gleamed brightly. The conveyer belt brought their bags and they rolled them out on a trolley.

Going through another set of double doors, they came to the arrival waiting area. Mai peered around, searching for Markus and Victoria, her mind still on the dream, when she was bombarded by a mass of red hair.

"MAI! It's so good to see you!" Madoka Mori cried, giving the young girl a big hug.

"Hey Madoka! I didn't know you were coming to meet us! I thought you were still in America!"

Madoka had been to see them in Japan a few times over the past three years. She had been very involved in Shibuya Psychic Research, and helped them on several different cases.

"Well, I was, but then I heard you were coming and I could not see my little Nolly-Wally." She poked her old student in the cheek with her finger, he was certainly not amused. They all laughed.

"Very well," Naru dodged another prod, "Are they here yet?"

"Yeah, they are just over there." Madoka pointed behind them.

Mai followed her finger and saw two people walking back from a coffee machine.

The first was a man, middle aged, wearing a shirt, tie and black pants. With wrinkles around his eyes, his grey hair had a bald patch at the back.

He held the hand of the woman next to him. She was about the same age as him; her hair was brown trimmed with silver. Her summer dress was white and she wore a cardigan to match.

They both looked very excited, but when they saw the group of people, the woman broke into a run.

"Oliver! My darling boy!" The lady gave Naru a massive hug, "How are you? Did you have a good trip? Was everything alright?" Then she noticed the rest of the team and Mai, "Oh hello there! You must be the wonderful young girl Madoka was talking about!"

"These are my parents, Martin and Luella Davis." Naru stated (Mai internally panicked, it was his Mum and Dad!), "Mother, Father, these are my co-workers, Houshou Takigawa, Ayako Matsuzaki, Osamu Yasuhara, John Brown, Masako Hara and Mai Taniyama." They all bowed respectively.

"Yes indeed! We have heard so much about you! Madoka says that you are all experts and know a lot about the trade!" Luella praised, "And you, Mai, are a very fast learner!"

Mai blushed a deep shade of red, "Thank you, Miss Davis."

"Oh for Pete's sake, there's no need for you to be so formal, call me Luella, or Lu for short!"

"OK…" Mai smiled, she liked Luella already.

"Have you got the van?" Lin asked.

"No, actually," Martin shook his head, "The client told us that they will take care of travel, so we just brought the car."

"That means that they would be here," Masako said.

"So where are the clients? They said they'd be here," Monk peered over the crowd of the busy airport.

"Maybe they got stuck in traffic?" John suggested.

"I dunno," Madoka said, "It wasn't that bad…"

"Markus, I told you we'd be late!"

"Well, excuse me; _I_ wasn't the one who spent an hour in front of the mirror!"

"Stop over exaggerating! It wasn't an hour, it was only ten minutes!"

"Ten minutes more than it should've been!"

This conversation rang loud and clear over the babble of the arrival's room. Markus's head was bobbing up and down over the mass of people, he seemed to be talking to somebody.

And that somebody, turned out to be a very short someone. Barely Mai's height, the girl had chocolate brown eyes, rosy cheeks and wore a pink and green t-shirt with blue jeans and plain white converse shoes. To round it all off, she carried an owl-shaped handbag. Her long brown hair was put up in a high ponytail, and two clips, one pink the other blue, kept her side fringe out of her eyes. All in all, she was very stylish.

But she looked very annoyed.

Markus then noticed the large group. He gave a smile and walked over, the girl trailing behind him.

"Hello! How was your flight?"

"Very well, thanks." Mai said.

"Oh, hello again Luella, Martin!" Markus shook the older man's hand, "I didn't know you were stopping by."

"We just wanted to say hi, we'll be going soon." Luella chirped happily.

The brown haired girl nudged Markus in the ribs.

"Oh, yes. This is Kathy; she is also part of our family."

Her gloomy aura instantly changed, "Hey! It's very nice to meet you! I really hope you enjoy England!"

They all introduced themselves, as they started walking out of the airport.

A large van was waiting outside for then. They bid goodbye to Madoka and Mr and Mrs Davis, and clambered into the almost minibus. It was actually quite spacious, considering that there were ten of them, even all the luggage fitted in quite comfortably.

Yasu offered his hand to Kathy, in order for her to do the high step up, she accepted cheerfully. Mai sent him a look, and he just ignored her, but she didn't miss the blush on his cheeks.

Markus offered to drive, Monk and Ayako sat in the front with him, and the men immediately got into a conversation about cars, much to Ayako's despair. John even chipped in own in a while from his own seat.

Kathy asked and insisted that she would sit next to Mai. Masako was at her other side and Yasu opposite. Naru and Lin sat next to the back doors, silently listening, probably thinking about what equipment they should pick up on the way.

A long conversation started up between the girls, where they learnt that Kathy was also nineteen, her favourite colour is pink and that she _loved_ fashion. She ranted for a full ten minutes as to why Lady Gaga's tastes were so disgusting. Ayako turned around and joined in, as she was seemingly bored out of her mind.

Mai sank into her seat and looked out the window, letting Kathy's words wash over her for a moment.

She had a bad feeling about this case, and there seemed to be something else up with Markus and Kathy.

A voice chanted in her head, "_They are keeping a secret, they are keeping a secret._"

She sighed softly, as a family of four passed by them on the pavement, they were currently stuck in traffic.

She remembered Gene's words, "_All would be explained in good time._"

"So what do you think about miniskirts, Mai?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah…" And she was pulled back into the talk of clothing, unease lingering at the back of her mind.

**Author's Note:**

**OMG, I have been writing this for ever! I'm so sorry for not updating sooner, life has been hectic and exams occupy my time. Oh, and not to mention I had a writer's block for a few months, I have gotten into Naruto, and it is joined first with Ghost Hunt on my anime list… Yeah, it's that good.**

**Also, I realised yesterday morning that I have been on for a year! Well, a year and two days to be exact. So, in honour of that, I watched half an episode of Ghost Hunt, have a sudden hurricane of inspiration and wrote three and a half pages in under an hour (while doing homework at the same time). My fingers are tired now… **

**So, please leave a review! I want to know what you guys think about it!**

**What did Gene mean in his dream? Will the team ever get to their destination? Will my fingers go back to normal? Find out in the next chapter!**

**CrazyAnimeFan1228**


	5. Chapter 5: The Journey

**Author's Note:**

**Hello everyone! It has been a little while since I last updated, during that time I have; gone to France, gone to Hungary and had end of year exams. But it's all over now and it's summer! **

**So yeah, I'm a happy bunny. **

**Anyway, enough of me, on to the chapter~!**

* * *

-Chapter 5-

**_The Journey_**

The car ride was long, grueling and boring. They had to stop by BSPR, to collect the equipment they would need. Lin got into the black van filled to the brim with; twenty-five cameras, twenty-five microphones, twenty infrared cameras and thirty thermometers, then followed the minibus.

For two hours they drove, going through towns, cities and postcard worthy villages. The conversation moved from fashion (a topic that Kathy wasn't as keen on as much as they first thought) to the landmarks of England, which Kathy was all too happy to tell them about. Places like the London Eye, Buckingham Palace and Stonehenge.

Suddenly, just as they passed another small village, a massive forest loomed ahead.

"We have now entered the grounds!" Markus called over his shoulder.

"Yay! We're in!" Kathy bounced in her seat, as they drove through the towering trees on a small dirt road, "Leave it to Markus to make us late."

"Hey! Don't question my driving skills! I've always been the expert."

"'The expert'!" Kathy rolled her eyes.

"I got my license before you did," Markus smiled smugly.

"Because you are older than me!"

"At least I passed my test first time," Markus's smirk widened, as he added, "With flying colors."

Kathy launched herself from the back of the van, to behind the urban haired man, grabbed his shoulders and began to shake him violently.

"Just because I forgot to look in the wing mirror, doesn't mean that you get to gloat about it for over a year!"

"Hey, hey, hey, easy there!" The van swerved suddenly, "You're going to make us crash! Keep your hair on!"

The trees towered over head, their massive branches creating a tunnel of green, sunlight filtering through the leaves, like something out of a fairy tale, almost unreal, unaware of what was going beneath the metal roof of the vehicle. Their branches and leaves swayed and rustled, even though no wind blew. This went by, unnoticed.

"Wait!" Mai called out, stopping the siblings, "Are you telling me that in this humongous… jungle is your home?"

"Yeah, the whole forest is owned by the Clarkton family." Kathy said, sitting carefully back down, Markus straightened his shirt.

All the members of SPR had looks of astonishment on their faces, a few of them had their mouths open, except Naru who didn't seem to be listening as he was reading a book.

The feisty girl muttered a sorry to Markus, he just waved her off.

"So… How long until we reach the house?" Ayako rubbed her arms, looking out the window into the near darkness of the forest, "It's creepy in here."

Markus yawned, as though he hadn't had his insides scrambled, and replied, "Oh, not for another two hours at least."

"WHAT?!"

"Sorry…" Kathy shrank into her seat slightly, "It goes faster than you think."

"Ah great…" Monk whined, "I know! Let's play Truth or Dare-"

"NO! We will _not_ play Truth or Dare, especially with you and Yasu taking part!" Ayako screeched.

"Why not? What does he do?" Kathy peered at the four-eyed boy.

"Yasuhara's dares are… interesting." John smiled nervously.

"They are downright terrifying and defiantly disgusting." Masako corrected.

"I just have a very creative imagination," Yasu flashed a grin at the brunet, he liked this girl already.

"Oh…" Kathy smiled, and Mai could have sworn that there was a very, very faint blush on her cheeks.

A silence covered the minivan. It wasn't awkward as such, but not comfortable either.

"So…" Mai said thoughtfully, "Has anything else happened since we last met, at your home, I mean."

This seemed to grab Naru's attention as he opened his mysterious black notebook, pen poised to write.

"Well, not really," Kathy shot a glance at Markus, who turned slightly in his seat, "Molly has had another nightmare, oh, there have been knocking sounds on the walls and the doors suddenly kept opening and closing."

"Typical poltergeist activity," Monk speculated.

"But how can you explain those marks on Victoria's back and, who was it… Molly's nightmares?" Mai said swiftly.

"Maybe it's an angry poltergeist." Yasu chipped in.

"Or it could be a specter. Maybe even a revengeful ghost." John lent back in his seat, "But one thing is for certain, this might be difficult."

"It is strange..." Ayako rummaged uneasily in her handbag, "Victoria must be been in a lot of pain. Those were no ordinary marks, I've seen similar scars in the clinic, when somebody attacked the patient with a sharp object, the bleeding doesn't stop for ages..."

That's when it hit her. That sickening smell, that sickening feeling… Mai gagged, clasping her hand to her mouth. Is it... Is it blood? No... Not just blood... There's something more...

"Mai... Mai... MAI!"

Someone was calling her name. She felt cold... Fear seeped through her, into her blood, into her very soul. Something bad was near, something very, very bad...

Mai forced open her eyes, only to feel a wave of nausea wash over her. The van had stopped, Naru was looking over her; she seemed to be lying down. Everyone else seemed to be hovering between her and Masako, who looked how she felt. Shaky, sweaty and white, Masako's eyes were wide, unusually wide, John was holding her steady.

"Mai! Are you alright?" Ayako elbowed Naru out of the way.

"W-What happened?" Mai stuttered, sitting up slowly.

"You, you just fainted..." Ayako said wearily, placing a hand on Mai's forehead. "You just collapsed, then Masako turned white and seemed to faint too..."

"There's a cloud..." Masako whispered, seemingly out of her daze, "A black cloud... Coming from the middle of the forest..."

Mai looked out of the front window of the van, it was like dark mist, just visible over the menacing trees.

Lin poked his head through the back door, his month in a thin frown, "Is something wrong?"

"There has been some supernatural phoneme detected." Naru mutters quietly.

Ignoring them, shaky, Mai stood, walked carefully over to Masako, sat next to her, and said, "I see it too."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Ooooooh! Suspense! Yes, this did take a while to write, and doesn't have a main event inside it, but it connects the previous chapter, to the next. Call it a bridge chapter! I think it is a little short, but is couldn't think of anything else to write without ruining it… Sorry for that…**

**And I just realized that Naru hasn't said much this entire time… Opps…**

**Reviews make the world go round!**

**Why are Markus and Kathy so nervous? What is that cloud all about? Will I write something longer? Find out in the next chapter!**

**CrazyAnimeFan1228**


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